The Women of Exodus

 


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LESSON THREE
WOMAN SEVENTEEN


Pharaoh's daughter
The Compassionate (Adoptive) Mother

 

I. She was a compassionate woman. (Ex 2:5-6)
    Even though she knew the foundling was not of her race, that he was a Hebrew slave, she still had compassion on the babe.

II. She was a courageous woman. (:6)

A.

 She knew that Moses was a Hebrew and yet she saved his life in contradiction to her father’s edict.
B.  Seti the First (Sety Merenptah), father to the adoptive mother, was the supreme ruler over Egypt and held the power of life and death over everyone in his kingdom- including his daughter.

C.

 For her act of compassion she could have been sentenced to death.

III. She faithfully carried out the duties of a mother even though the child was not her own flesh and blood.
    A. She saw to his physical needs. (:7-10)
    B.
She saw to his education. (Acts 7:20-22)
    C.
She took on raising him as a long-term commitment, not a temporary whim.  (Acts 7:23)

IV. She was a giving woman.
    A. She gave compassion. (Ex 2:6)
    B.
She gave of her money. (:9)
    C.
She gave her home to a homeless child. (:10)
    D.
She gave of her love and care to raise her adopted son to be a man. (Acts 7:21-22)

V. Though an Egyptian, God still used her to bring about freedom for the Hebrews.
A.  Her adopted son, Moses, was the one single leader through which God freed His people from slavery. No Moses - no freedom.
B.  From the very house of the oppressor, Pharaoh, God nurtured and brought forth the leader who would break the grip of oppression.  Through the heart of compassion of the daughter of Pharaoh came the protection and training of the destroyer of Pharaoh's power over the Hebrews- Moses, the hand of God.
   This shows us that God uses whom He chooses to use, Hebrew or Gentile, to carry out His will.  Hebrew or Gentile, male or female, any whom God chooses as tools to carry out His will, will be used by Him.  The gentle, compassionate daughter of Pharaoh was used in her gentle compassion as the nurturer of the vehicle of God's freedom for His people.  The violent and cruel oppressor of God's people, Pharaoh, was used in his violence and cruelty to bring about freedom for God's people.  Each used in a mirror of their own demeanor and actions.  The gentle in gentleness; and the violent in violence; but God's will was still carried out.  This can serve as a warning to us. We can be used in gentleness, like Pharaoh's daughter, or we can be used in violence and cruelty, like Pharaoh.  The choice is ours.  We have absolute freedom of choice in our motives and actions - but we have no choice at all in the consequences that we ourselves earn and experience.

Pharaoh's daughter           Pharaoh                                           
    
Compassion and nurture or cruelty and violence.
Remember the consequences experienced by each.

 

VI. Though an Egyptian, Pharaoh's daughter was used of God to bring about the birth of His Chosen Nation.

A.

 God was the architect of the nation of Israel; but Moses was the channel for God's power and the tool used by Him to shape that nation.

B.

  Pharaoh's daughter was the protector of that channel and tool; and by yielding to God in this matter, she became an integral part of the mechanism and a necessary link in the sequence of events by which God brought about the formation of His Chosen Nation. 

Summary- There are many lessons to be learned from the story of Pharaoh’s daughter.

    A few of those lessons are:

    1. Compassion is not limited to just those who are God’s people.
         It is a common trait among women and men in general; both Hebrew and Gentile.
         (Although today, 2011, it is becoming more of a rarity.)

    2. Motherhood is not just something dictated by blood relationship.
         Whether the child is by blood or by adoption, love and compassion can overcome
       any barriers- race, religion, or station in life, whether that be master or slave.

3.

Being a mother is not just a matter of talk; it is also a matter of walk.
    This lesson is so relevant today when so many in our society want to be called “mother” and talk of being a “mother” and yet do not carry out the responsibilities incumbent on motherhood. When the pregnancy becomes a bother, they murder their own unborn child by abortion.  Or if the child be born and then becomes too much of a bother after they are born, the mother abandons the child in a dumpster or an orphanage.  And let's not leave the men out of this, who abandon their children even more readily than do the mothers!  But we are addressing the problem with women today so we will leave the study of the worthless "fathers" for another time.
    This modern tendency was even foretold in the scriptures; and it is not foretold of just women but also of men. (The word “men,” in verse :2 of the scripture reference is the Greek word
anqrwpoi, anthropoi, meaning a human being; whether male or female.)

 

II Tim 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

NOTE: This problem, lack of natural affection, is much more prevalent today, true; but it is not a new problem. Quite to the contrary, it is just a massive resurgence of a very old problem. Whenever mankind has drawn away from the true God to false religions and gods, then lack of natural affection is just one of the signs of the reprobate mind of a reprobate society. (Ro 1:21-32)  What we are experiencing today is the problem accelerating at break-neck speed as we draw closer to the end.

4. We need more mothers like Pharaoh’s daughter.  Mothers that don’t just talk the talk but also walk the walk; regardless of the potential consequences.  Even if that possible consequence is death.

5. Finally, in the story of Pharaoh's daughter, we learn that God uses whom He chooses to use, Hebrew or Gentile, to carry out His will.  Whether Hebrew or Gentile, male or female, slave or master, any whom God chooses as tools to carry out His will, will be used by Him.  The gentle, compassionate daughter of Pharaoh was used in her gentleness and compassion as the nurturer of Moses, the vehicle of God's freedom for His people.  The violent and cruel oppressor of God's people, Pharaoh, was used in his violence and cruelty to bring about freedom for God's people.  Each used in a mirror of their own demeanor and actions.  Using the gentle in acts of gentleness and the violent in acts of violence, God's will was carried out and this is a warning to us. We can be used in gentleness, like Pharaoh's daughter, or we can be used in violence and cruelty, like Pharaoh.  The choice is ours.  We have absolute freedom of choice in our demeanor and actions - but we have no choice at all in the consequences.  Including the consequences we will experience for ourselves as well as the consequences for others around us.

 



LESSON THREE TEST
WOMAN SEVENTEEN
This test is "open book," which means you may
use your study materials while taking this test.

If you fail this test then you must wait a minimum of one day before you can
retake it.  During that time you are required to go to the textbook and the
Bible, whichever is appropriate, and find the correct answers to every
question missed on the failed test. You may use the copy of the
failed test that was sent to you and refer to it for the correct
answers, which are included on it, to verify that you have
found the correct answers in your study materials.
Once you have found all of the correct answers
and waited the required one day, then you
may retake the test. 

You cannot proceed to the next Lesson until the day after you have
passed this Lesson Test and found all of the correct answers
in the textbook or the Bible, whichever is appropriate, to
all questions missed on this test even though
you received a passing score.

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